Thursday, December 31, 2009

"Those who work in the area said the van had been there at least two days. A similar-looking van in the same location appeared on Google Street View in warmer weather, which suggests it could have been there for a while"

And it JUST GOT NOTICED, huh?

And CUI BONO?

"Police said they will ban backpacks and set up barriers in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. It will deploy additional police, including plainclothes officers, there and throughout the city. It also will search garages for bombs and set up detectors for radiation and biological agents."

NEW YORK - A white van without license plates parked in the heart of Times Square caused a security scare yesterday that rattled New Yorkers and thousands of holiday tourists milling about amid preparations for the city’s massive New Year’s Eve celebration.

Just weeks after a police-involved shooting in the area, the New York Police Department blocked off part of Times Square for about two hours starting at 11 a.m., calling in counterterrorism and bomb squads after officers noticed the 1992 Dodge van, which had a bogus law enforcement placard in the windshield, parked on Broadway between 41st and 42d streets....

Something is a stinking already!

The glass-covered tower directly in front of where the van was parked.... There were no corresponding terrorism threats involving the vehicle, said chief NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne. No explosive devices were found in the van, and the area was reopened to traffic about two hours after patrol officers spotted the van. But police take extra care around New Year’s Eve when the celebration draws hundreds of thousands of revelers from around the world to the heart of Times Square to see the ball drop at midnight. Squads routinely patrol for suspicious vehicles and do sweeps in garages before the event....

Police said they will ban backpacks and set up barriers in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. It will deploy additional police, including plainclothes officers, there and throughout the city. It also will search garages for bombs and set up detectors for radiation and biological agents....

Investigators also towed a parked car several yards from the van....

And?

Police used a robot to examine the vehicle, then approached on foot and peered in the windows. The van was opened to reveal a disheveled mess of clothing, racks and scarves that looked like a peddler’s stand. A temporary registration was also found, but it had been altered, and police were looking for the van’s owner. It wasn’t clear how long the van had been parked there, though those who work in the area said the van had been there at least two days. A similar-looking van in the same location appeared on Google Street View in warmer weather, which suggests it could have been there for a while. The vehicle was towed from the spot later yesterday.

Something about this WHOLE STORY is EL STINKOLA, Amurka!!

The incident comes three weeks after a shootout in Times Square when a man hawking CDs ran from officers who recognized him as an aggressive panhandler running a scam....

CROWN POINT, N.Y. - The Lake Champlain Bridge linking New York and Vermont crashed into the lake yesterday, as controlled explosionsbrought down the unsafe 80-year-old span, which had been the first of its kind used for highway traffic and which was a design duplicated on numerous other bridges.

Oh, so the NEWSPAPER KNOWS ALL ABOUT CONTROLLED DEMOLITIONS, huh? Then they CAN NOT NOT KNOW about 9/11!!!!

Snow fell, and a small group of onlookers watched as the 2,184-foot-long link between Crown Point, N.Y., and Addison, Vt., was dropped into the water and ice at the narrow south end of the lake yesterday morning.

Snow fell?

So 9/11 is a lie and they know, and they also know about the global warming lie but they keep promoting that, too.

There was a sharp concussion followed by billowing smoke, as steel and concrete fell, with a section of pavement at the arched center of the bridge teetering and then falling into the channel below.

The destruction was not visible from public viewing areas 2 miles away on the lake’s New York shore, but onlookers were startled by the sound of the explosions merging into what seemed to be a single large blast.

The decades-old bridge was closed Oct. 16, when engineers deemed it unsafe because of severe erosion in its concrete piers. The demolition was the start of a nearly two-year project to replace the bridge, which was located about 100 miles north of Albany. The demolition conducted by Advanced Explosives Demolition of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, but cold and ice delayed preparations.

Advanced Explosives Demolition’s crew spent more than a week placing 800 pounds of explosives packed into more than 500 charges that brought the bridge down in sections.

Can this be IN YOUR FACE anymore, America?

Another crew was to begin removing the tons of bridge debris from the channel, a task that is expected to be completed by spring, when construction of the new span is set to begin. The new bridge is expected to open in summer 2011. New York transportation officials called the demolition a success. “The demolition went as planned,’’ said Stanley Gee, the acting transportation department commissioner. “Now we’ll start cleaning up. Pretty soon you’ll see barges out there trying to remove the large sections of the bridge that went down in the main channel.’’

No one was allowed within 1,000 feet of the blast area. Two public viewing areas were available on the New York shore 2 miles west of the bridge, and another was set up along a road along the Vermont shore.

But you COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING so WTF?

When New York Transportation Department officials closed the bridge in the fall, both New York and Vermont, which share ownership of the bridge, had already determined that it needed to be replaced. The bridge, used by about 3,400 vehicles a day, was closed and never reopened, forcing motorists to take 100-mile detours or to ride crowded ferries to reach their jobs. Local businesses that rely on bridge traffic have seen revenues plummet.

Opened on Aug. 26, 1929, the Lake Champlain Bridge was the nation’s first long-span continuous truss bridge for highway traffic, and its steel girder arch design was used on numerous other spans. Measures were taken to protect historic and cultural resources during the demolition, especially on the New York end of the bridge....

NEW YORK - The former sheepfold at the edge of Central Park, now ringed by twinkling lights and fake topiary animals, is preparing for New Year’s Eve, when it will serve its last meal.

I didn't make a reservation.

Just three years ago, it was plating more than 700,000 meals annually, bringing in more than $38 million. But that astronomical sum wasn’t enough to keep the landmark restaurant out of bankruptcy court. Its $8 million debt is to be covered at an auction of Baccarat and Waterford chandeliers, Tiffany stained glass, a mural depicting Central Park, and other over-the-top decor that has bewitched visitors for decades....

For 75 years, since it first opened amid the Great Depression, the Tavern has attracted clients from around the world....

Dean Poll, who operates the stylish Loeb Boathouse restaurant overlooking the Central Park lake and offered to invest $25 million on Tavern renovations. The city awarded him a 20-year license in August, citing his significant capital investment and vision; the new Tavern will incorporate green building technology while a conservatory-style dining space will complement the original Victorian architecture. Poll also plans an outdoor cafe, bicycle racks, and new public restrooms.

Oh, so it is JUST BEING RENOVATED, huh?

The LeRoys, employing more than 400 unionized workers with full benefits, couldn’t match that. As the recession hit, they accrued more than 450 creditors. A spokeswoman for the company running the auction said the LeRoys couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday, but people close to Jennifer LeRoy, 31, said she feels heartbroken over the closure and betrayed by a city that pulled the lease to a business her father turned into a New York icon....

State officials are seeking to have his probation revoked, which could result in a jail sentence. A detention hearing could be held as soon as today to determine whether the Cambridge Democrat should be jailed until a full revocation hearing can be held....

Galluccio immediately proclaimed his innocence, issuing a statement saying that the breathalyzer recorded low-level positive readings as a result of his using toothpaste, Colgate Total Whitening and Sensodyne Toothpaste.

What, the obsessive-compulsive drunk also brushing his teeth all day?

Gimme a break!!!

He said he made that determination after consulting with a doctor, pointing out that the toothpastes both contain sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that has been reported to trigger positive breathalyzer results.... Galluccio said that a probation officer installed the breathalyzer in his home on Monday and that the device issued several low-level positive readings over an hour.

Why should we believe a proven liar, and why is the Globe so eager to get out his side of the story?

He is required to breathe into the device at random times every day.

And why would the rewrite cut this?

Outside the courthouse, Galluccio told reporters that he was told earlier in the day by a physician that the toothpaste could have triggered the positive reading.

I'll remember that the next time a cop makes me blow and a positive reading comes up.

When asked if he had anything to drink since Friday, he said, "Absolutely not," WHDH-TV reported. "I wasn't aware that oral mouth cleaners could set the calibration on the machine off," he said.

Yeah, it was a GLITCH in the MACHINE! I'll remember THAT ONE, too, Gooch!

STATE SENATOR Anthony D. Galluccio should resign his seat immediately.

No,, he's still hanging on; tomorrow he will add another year of "service" on to his padded pension.

After being sentenced to home confinement late last week for leaving the scene of a car accident in October, the Cambridge Democrat cannot give his constituents the representation they deserve. Beyond that, his long record of alcohol-related accidents and traffic stops suggests a troubling inability to comply with public safety laws and manage his own affairs in a manner befitting an elected lawmaker....

In addition to the home confinement, he lost his driver’s license for five years, must abstain from drinking, and will have his blood alcohol levels monitored. Galluccio himself has vowed, “There will be no alcohol in my life,’’ though he went on to fail court-mandated breathalyzer tests yesterday. To the extent that Galluccio is sincerely struggling to overcome an addiction, he deserves the empathy of his constituents.

Well, it is NOT SINCERE and he does NOT DESERVE EMPATHY!!

And WHERE is YOUR EMPATHY when it comes to POT, Globe?

Yeah, right.

Any friend or relative of an alcoholic understands the power of that compulsion.

Unreal!

Yet public officials also have duties to the voters who elect them, and the needs of Galluccio’s constituents cannot go neglected while the state senator serves out his sentence.

Like they care about us, readers.

Galluccio got lucky. While he could have gone to jail, the terms of his sentence allow him to leave home....

"A district court judge today tightened the home confinement conditions for state Senator Anthony D. Galluccio and set a hearing for Jan. 4 to determine whether the Cambridge Democrat should go to jail for failing breathalyzer tests this week that were part of his probation for a fleeing the scene of a car crash in October. Cambridge District Court Judge Matthew Nestor agreed to a request by the probation department for a "lockdown" that would require Galluccio to stay in his home 24 hours a day until the hearing....

A Cambridge District Court judge yesterday placed state Senator Anthony D. Galluccio under house arrest - barring him from leaving his home for any reason, including to vote in the Senate - because the troubled lawmaker failed a breath alcohol test days after promising to stop drinking alcohol. Judge Matthew Nestor ordered Galluccio to return to court Jan. 4 for a hearing to determine whether he had violated the terms of the probation....

About 300 fans packed into the narrow spectator gallery at Dartmouth College’s squash courts, hoping to see their underdog team topple fifth-ranked Harvard for the first time. But the cheering soon turned to heckling - and then a full-fledged verbal assault.

Hey, that is SPORTS now thanks to the divisive MSM.

For at least 90 minutes, about a dozen Dartmouth students pelted Harvard’s men and women players with obscenity-laced insults that some witnesses described as misogynistic, homophobic, and anti-Semitic....

The agenda-pushing front-page coverage thus does not surprise me.

The Dec. 2 incident, which shattered the genteel world of college squash....

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

WHO CARES?

The incident also has sparked soul-searching on the secluded Hanover campus that has tried for decades to shed its “Animal House’’ image....

Yesterday, John M. Forbes, the 31-year-old father of two, submitted his resignation as the mayor’s liaison to East Boston, “with deep regret,’’ in a terse two-sentence letter to the city’s assistant supervisor of labor relations.

The fall of Forbes, who many knew as the former star pitcher for St. Dominic Savio Preparatory High School and one of five children of a well-known family active in East Boston, has stunned and disturbed those who knew him. Many said they saw no signs of trouble in Forbes’s life. Previously, his most serious brush with the law appears to have been a speeding ticket that resulted in the brief suspension of his driver’s license 10 years ago....

John Kelly, executive director of East Boston Social Centers, who has known Forbes and his family for decades. “.... This is really a shocker. I think it’s really about the tragedy of drugs that do affect families - even the finest families. And he comes from a great family.’’

"Swampscott man must be locked up until drug trial, judge rules; He was arrested with Menino aide" by Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff | December 30, 2009

US Magistrate Judge Leo T. Sorokin said authorities had gathered substantial evidence that Lawrence R. Taylor, 61, was involved in “a significant drug business.’’ The evidence included testimony by an IRS investigator at the first part of a detention hearing last week that the unemployed man had bank accounts totaling about $570,000 and had made more than 160 transactions that each involved less than $10,000. Banks must report transactions greater than $10,000 to the government....

Assistant US Attorney Jeffrey M. Cohen has said that the drug trade with several other men, including a convicted murderer, Anthony W. Cristallo of Derry, N.H. Cristallo is being sought by federal authorities on a one-count indictment charging him with dealing OxyContin....

He sported a mane of black hair, lived in Miami, drove a blue BMW 330I, once threw a $75,000 birthday party for himself, and was often high on cocaine and other drugs. He dubbed one of his break-ins “Operation Get Rich or Die Tryin’,’’ according to records in federal court. Authorities confiscated more than $22,000 when they arrested him in a posh South Beach hotel last year, and found a .40 caliber Glock handgun along with ammunition in his hotel safe.

But in US District Court in Boston yesterday, the 28-year-old looked very different. His hair was closely cropped. He wore narrow framed glasses and olive-shaded prison garb. He spoke in a low, quiet voice, giving mostly one- or two-word answers to questions from Judge Douglas Woodlock. “He is sorry,’’ said Gonzalez’s Boston lawyer, Martin Weinberg. “He has a desire to put this behind him.’’

PFFFFFFFT!!

Gonzalez told Woodlock he had used drugs since he was 16, including alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, LSD, and psychedelic mushrooms.

I guess that is why the GOVERNMENT MADE HIM an INFORMANT and why he was SO GOOD at CYBER-CRIME they had him doing LECTURES!! "

"In 2003, he was arrested by the Secret Service on charges of fraud, but avoided prison time by becoming an informant. He helped the agency penetrate the underworld of credit fraud and even gave lectures on cybercrime to Secret Service employees."

But he was ALL F***ED UP on DRUGS!

However, a Brookline psychiatrist hired by defense lawyers to examine Gonzalez, Dr. Barry Roth, wrote in a report submitted to court that the year and a half in jail has allowed Gonzalez to wean himself from drugs and “cleared his mind.’’

HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Later, Gonzalez was caught hacking into computer systems of NASA and the government of India. Again, he received a visit at his high school and a stern warning, this time from the FBI and NASA officials.

Boy, does THIS COVER STORY STINK!!!

Yup, GUYS LIKE THIS -- a GOVERNMENT INFORMANT -- doing all the HACKING!!

FOR WHICH you need MORE TYRANNY so the GOVERNMENT can "PROTECT" YOU from... IT, America!!!!

In his report, Roth said Gonzalez exhibited the behavior of someone who was addicted to the Internet and had Asperger syndrome, a developmental disorder associated with people who have poor social skills, trouble relating to others, and a few intense interests....

Roger Lau and Thomas Heinz are now both 26, but were in their late teens and early 20s when the alleged rapes took place, prosecutors said. Their lawyers said the two were wrongly accused....

Youth soccer officials did not return e-mails and telephone calls seeking comment, but posted a note on the group’s website, at medfordsoccer.com. “Medford Soccer is troubled by the allegations against two former coaches that became public,’’ the statement said. “Medford Soccer has cooperated fully with authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so.’’

Heinz’s father is identified on the website as the town coordinator and liaison for referees. The group did not address his status. In an interview later yesterday, Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said the alleged rapes took place between April 2003 and November 2004. He said that the investigation began last month and that more charges could be forthcoming. He also said more victims could come forward.

“These girls at the time were 13 and 14 years old,’’ Leone said. “They didn’t even know what they were doing was wrong or was bad. Now, six or seven years later, they have matured into young women. They know, one, this is wrong; two, I was victimized; and, three, I can tell someone.’’

I've heard it said so many times before, so use it here: Let GOD sort them out.

A senior member of Governor Deval Patrick’s administration was accused in a civil lawsuit yesterday of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in a steam room at an exclusive Florida resort in 2007.

This item was posted on page B11, lower-right corner and was a one-day wonder.

Hmmmm.

The civil suit against Carl Stanley McGee, an assistant secretary in the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, follows a decision by Florida prosecutors to drop criminal charges that were initially brought after the incident. The boy, a high school senior who lives in upstate New York, filed the suit in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston alleging that McGee forced himself on the teenager two years ago. McGee was arrested in Florida on Dec. 28, 2007, after the boy alleged that McGee had performed oral sex on him when he was a guest at the Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande, according to police reports at the time. McGee was held overnight on a $300,000 bond before being released.

At the time, McGee was placed on unpaid administrative leave from his state post, but he returned to work three months later after the prosecutor in Lee County, Florida, declined to bring charges....

This administration is the MOST CORRUPT and IMMORAL Massachusetts administration that I can EVER REMEMBER, readers!

McGee, 40, was on vacation and could not be reached yesterday for comment. Boston lawyer Charles Rankin, who handled criminal proceedings in Florida for McGee, did not return a phone call. Kofi Jones, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the office of the state attorney in Lee County, Florida, did not return phone calls seeking comment....

HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Yeah, the NEWSPAPER'S MAIN SELLING POINT over the BLOGS is THEY COMMAND ANSWERS from leaders where as BLOGS do not!

Hey, what is ONE MORE MSM SELF-DELUSION and LIE, readers?!

According to the four-page complaint, the boy was in the hotel’s steam room on Dec. 28, 2007, when McGee entered and initiated physical contact.

GROSS, GROSS, GROSS!!!

The SICKO LIKES.... even I can't type it or say it, readers!!!

I can BARELY THINK IT without wanting to PUKE!!!!!!!!!

The suit contends that the episode caused “severe emotional distress’’ to the boy.

It is CAUSING ME DISTRESS just HEARING ABOUT IT; I can ONLY IMAGINE how the kid feels!!

Of course, because it was NOT a PRIEST the jewspaper isn't running screaming headlines about it!!

At the time, McGee was interviewed by police, but refused to answer questions, asserting his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, according to the complaint.

Again, I have heard it so many times, so WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO HIDE and WHY are you HIDING behind a CONSTITUTION you scum are TAKING AWAY from US, huh?

Oh, I'm sorry, it must be the booze and drugs talking.

McGee, the Housing and Economic Development agency’s $117,000-a-year assistant secretary for policy and planning, has been the architect of several key pieces of legislation, including the governor’s casino bill, a law promoting the life sciences industry, and a plan to bring broadband Internet services to rural areas of the state.

Police yesterday identified the body of a woman found dumped in an East Boston alley last Wednesday as Julienne Corrao, a 39-year-old Boston resident.

She was found stuffed in a large nylon bag, her wrists bound. Authorities did not say how she was killed, although two law enforcement sources previously said it appeared she had been beaten. Corrao had lived in a number of places in Boston, a police spokesman said, declining to provide her last known address.

“We don’t want to jeopardize the investigation,’’ said Joe Zanoli, a spokesman for the Boston Police Department. Autopsy results are incomplete. A neighbor found the body on Princeton Street, a quiet, residential area. The body had been left in a small alley next to a maroon three-decker. The neighbor called 911 to report a suspicious-looking bag, which other neighbors had assumed was trash....

Homicide detectives are still conducting interviews and are seeking the public’s assistance in solving the crime....

And more police state measures deter crime how?

I'd rather be packing a piece. Let the crook get a little surprise. He'll never do it again.

Yup, another crime unsolved (the Globe would have reported it, right?) while pot smokers have doors kicked in and senseless tyranny is imposed over fake "terrorism."

"Clues sought in death of womanfound in alley" by Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | December 25, 2009

Boston police are investigating the death of a woman, apparently in her 30s, whose body was found Wednesday night inside a large cloth bag in East Boston.

Police are still trying to figure out the identity of the woman, who appears to be the victim of a homicide.... The body was found about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday by a neighbor on Princeton Street, a quiet, residential area with well-kept single-family homes and three-decker houses bedecked with wreaths and inflatable Christmas decorations. The body had been left in a small alley next to 89 Princeton St., a maroon three-decker. The woman’s wrists had been bound and she had a tattoo of a dragon on her neck, one of the officials said....

“Earlier this month, police wrapped up a 30-day sting involving plainclothes officers mimicking tourists and other pedestrians. Once they were panhandled, they essentially became victims guaranteed to show up for a trial”

"Hopes raised for recovery; Amid good signs, holiday spending off to a slow start" by Martin Crutsinger and Anne D’Innocenzio, Associated Press | December 12, 2009

WASHINGTON - Just in time for Christmas, the fragile economic recovery is showing signs of strengthening: Consumers are spending, companies are rebuilding stockpiles, and Chinese exports are mounting a comeback.

Data released yesterday eased some worries about Americans’ willingness to spend this holiday season. But stores remain worried that they may have to offer deeper discounts than planned, perhaps as early as this weekend, because of mediocre sales so far. Most stores have reported lackluster results for the start of the holiday season, so the Commerce Department’s retail sales report for November was encouraging....

Translation; The government and MSM are lying to you to try and boost sales and keep you from realizing how s***ty this economy really is.... and they soon prove it:

Shoppers crowded malls for deep discounts over Thanksgiving weekend, but many consumers have been slow to return. Some analysts say the industry could suffer its second straight year of holiday-season sales declines. The two weeks since Thanksgiving have been especially tepid....

Please keep this in mind for the later contradictions, 'er, lies, 'er, revisions, 'er, you know what I mean.

Many are counting on a strong sales rebound this weekend. If that does not happen, they may have to cut prices further.

Didn't this article lead with "just in time for Christmas, the fragile economic recovery is showing signs of strengthening: Consumers are spending, companies are rebuilding" blah,blah,blah, pfffft?

NEW YORK - If you were hoping to find massive clearance sales as you finish your holiday shopping, prepare to be disappointed.

I sure am! There is NOTHING on the SHELVES!!!

Major stores that had worried it would take across-the-board discounts to lure shoppers are backing away from the panic button. They planned better this year in stocking their merchandise, and Americans are spending a little more than expected.

Oh, here comes the s*** shovel.

Sales last week were up 18 percent from the week before, and a little more than 1 percent higher than a year earlier, according to figures released yesterday by the research firm ShopperTrak....

That shouldhelp fourth-quarter profits....

Keep that in mind for later, please.

For stores, the success of the holiday shopping season depends on the week before Dec. 25, which accounts for about a quarter of holiday sales, according to ShopperTrak. The Saturday before Christmas usually rivals the day after Thanksgiving, the traditional start of holiday shopping....

Then THIS YEAR is looking DISMAL!!!!

And stores have reason for some optimism: Shoppers don’t seem as far along in their gift-buying as they were last year at this point, according to both the National Retail Federation and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Give it a few days; that WILL turn to PANIC because WE AIN'T BUYING THIS YEAR! I sent CHECKS to CHARITIES as GIFTS this year!!!

Shoppers, though, have stuck to their lists and bought discounted practical items like socks, pajamas, and microwaves, but have opened their wallets for discounted electronics. Online shopping has been another bright spot.

You guys ever get tired of shoveling s***, agenda-pusher?

Retailers are pinning hopes on shoppers like Marney Bilodeau, who said she’s cramming all her holiday buying in this week and next....

"Snowstorm may bury holiday shopping; Retailers say they wouldn’t be able to recoup losses" by Mae Anderson, Associated Press | December 19, 2009

NEW YORK - Lots of snow may have storybook holiday charm, but storm predictions in the Northeast are not raising the spirits of retailers counting on shoppers to give them a brisk finish to the season.

A wet storm that arrived in the Southeast late Thursday could bring snow to much of the Eastern Seaboard beginning today. Washington, D.C., could get 10 to 16 inches of snow, and the New York region five to 10 inches, the National Weather Service warned. Forecasters expect six to eight inches of snow in Boston and as much as 20 inches on some areas of Cape Cod.

For retailers already struggling to draw restrained holiday shoppers, stormy weather on the last Saturday before Christmas, sometimes the busiest shopping day of the year, could mean the loss of sales that aren’t replaced, experts said....

And yet

"Sales last week were up 18 percent from the week before, and a little more than 1 percent higher than a year earlier, according to figures released yesterday by the research firm ShopperTrak."

Whatever, MSM!....

Even if major storms don’t materialize, forecasts could keep shoppers home....

"Storm hit East Coast retailers; Saturday sales were not so super" by Anne D’Innocenzio, Associated Press | December 23, 2009

NEW YORK - Super Saturday - the last Saturday before Christmas and usually the biggest or second-biggest sales day of the year - got walloped by a big East Coast snowstorm that kept many shoppers at home.

Merchants in the Northeast are now left to hope for an even bigger-than-usual last-minute spending surge from shoppers who, according to several surveys, are well behind on their holiday purchases compared with previous years.

So WHAT is with the MIXED MESSAGES then, MSM?!! WTF?!!

Several stores, including Target and Toys R Us, announced earlier this week they will extend their hours to accommodate shoppers in the final days before Christmas....

Not going to help.

Research firm ShopperTrak reported yesterday that Super Saturday sales dropped 12.6 percent from a year ago, while foot traffic fell 12.4 percent, as a winter storm lashed the East Coast. That’s on top of a 12.4 percent sales decline and a 17 percent drop in foot traffic on Super Saturday in 2008 compared with the prior year....

A 25% DROP in TWO YEARS?!

Can you say ECONOMY on FREE FALL, Americans?

And yet the MSM has been SHOVELING S*** for MONTHS!!!

"Last-second Santas; After near blizzard took wind out of their sales, retailers rely on unlikely source for merry holiday: the procrastinator" by Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | December 24, 2009

BRAINTREE - Across the region, anxious merchants battered by last weekend’s wicked northeaster are offeringholdouts like Gadon a cornucopia of promotions and extended hours during the final countdown to Christmas....

The last Saturday before Christmas is traditionally the second-biggest spending day of the holiday season and a day when last-minute shoppers are out in force. Now, store owners are frantically trying to make up what was lost this weekend, when sales dropped 17.3 percent in the Northeast on Saturday compared with the same period last year, according to research firm ShopperTrak.

It AIN'T HAPPENING, readers!

The hit could not have come at a worse time for retailers already facing a gloomy climate. So this yearprocrastinators are key to whether merchants will have a profitable holiday.

Oh, THAT is NOT GOOD!!!

Don't worry, I'm sure they will get to you TOMORROW, merchants.

Even before the snowstorm, a record number of shoppers were holding out for better deals and trying to save up cash to pay for gifts....

Throughout the holiday season, they had dutifully shopped for others, searching the malls from Ann Taylor to Zales to find the perfect gifts for family and friends. Their Christmas lists were long, and so were the lines.

Always, the clock was ticking.

Yeah, WHERE?

The BEGGING and ANXIOUS MERCHANTS?

I mean, WHAT DID I JUST READ ABOVE?!

So THAT LIE was just trying to GET YOU OUT THERE and SPEND MONEY YOU DON'T HAVE to BOOST CORPORATE CHRISTMAS SALES, huh, so GOVERNMENT and MSM can look good?

Yesterday, they reclaimed their shopping agenda with a rush of liberation and pent-up zeal, seizing on postholiday sales, extended store hours, and freshly acquired gift cards for a flurry of delayed gratification at discount prices. Armed with gift receipts, they again thronged to the stores, taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to exchange unwanted presents (sorry Auntie Jean and Uncle Bob), and peruse the aisles on their own terms.

I'm sorry, readers, but THIS is INSULTING BULLSHIT!!!

“Today is about us,’’ said Cyndi Reitmeyer, shopping with her mother and 4-year-old daughter at the Natick Collection, a vast shopping complex off the Massachusetts Turnpike. The stores were crowded by 9 a.m., and by midafternoon the parking lot was packed.

Seeing as that's the case, f*** the shopping. Can't find a parking space. Let's head home.

So INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING at the Globe is down to STANDING on STREET CORNERS and ROAMING MALLS for ANECDOTAL LIES, huh?

Rejuvenated after a day’s respite from the commercial clamor, the most dedicated purchasers arrived at stores before dawn, on the lookout for bargains and eager to snatch up those coveted items Santa Claus somehow forgot. “People get those gift cards, they want to spend them immediately,’’ said Dawn Penkala, who manages JC Penney at the North Shore Mall. “We opened at 5 a.m., and there were already people waiting.’’

Yeah, KEEP the GIFT CARD LIE in your mind, too!!!!

The predawn opening, the earliest in store history, underscored the lengths retailers are willing to go to entice shoppers and boost sluggish holiday sales.

Okay, then WHAT WAS IN THE FIRST THREE PARAGRAPHS other than AGENDA-HUCKED BULLSHIT, 'eh?

With consumer confidence still shaky and many customers reluctant to run up credit card debt, many stores eyed a post-Christmas bounce as their last chance to salvage the make-or-break season, which analysts say can account for 25 percent of annual sales.

Yup, EVERY WEEK it was the SAME STORY!

THIS is the week that is make or break!

And when it BROKE then it was the NEXT WEEK!

Then it was the PROCRASTINATORS that were going to save them, ha-ha!

Now it is the POST-XMAS CROWD with the EVER-INCREASING SHARE of the SALES MARKET!

“Hopefully they are making more exchanges than returns,’’ said Mark Whiting, general manager for the Liberty Tree and North Shore malls, who said business was steady but far from hectic. “That’s our Christmas wish for our retailers.’’

In addition to JC Penney, Macy’s got an early start yesterday, 6 a.m., and Sears opened at 7, Whiting said. Last year, ShopperTrak, a market research firm, ranked the day after Christmas among the top three holiday shopping days, along with Black Friday and the Saturday before Christmas. This year, with the anemic economy making consumers more price conscious, 10 percent of shoppers planned to wait for postholiday sales to buy presents, according to a midmonth survey by American Express. “There are great bargains to be had,’’ said Melissa Lavita, marketing director at CambridgeSide Galleria. “We’ve been busy.’’

Yeah, whatever, MSM. ShopperTrak -- as I noted above -- forecast a 25% DECLINE over TWO YEARS and I'M TIRED of the S***-SHOVELING LIES of the Boston Globe.

More than 30 percent of shoppers were holding out for the best deals, the American Express survey indicated, and almost 20 percent were still saving money for holiday gifts. With money tight, the calendar became a bit more flexible, many said.

PFFFFFT!

Translation: WE LIE!

For Beth Rasmussen of Andover, it had been six long weeks since her television broke, but her time had finally come. She joined the crowds at Best Buy at Cambridgeside Galleria, where TVs, portable DVD players, and laptop computers were marked down. She wound up getting a big-screen LCD TV at far less than she would have paid last month. It was worth the wait, she said. “I feel like we got a good price,’’ she said as she took a break from her labors on a mall bench.

At Target in Somerville, business picked up around noon, as customers scooped up half-off seasonal items. “People really load up,’’ said manager Liz Diggin.

Despite the calendar, others were still in Christmas mode. They had already exchanged gifts with their immediate family, but more family get-togethers loomed. “I really procrastinated this year,’’ Malene Coombs of Lincoln said as she looked for presents for her nieces and nephews at Borders in Cambridge. For others, the malls provided a much-needed outlet from family gatherings.

Yeah, who would want to hang out with family during the holidays, huh?

The Belyeas of Hingham took shelter at the CambridgeSide Galleria. They left their bags of exchanges at home, fearing long lines. But they were out of the house. “We have nothing else to do,’’ said Emily Belyea, 23.

And the AmeriKan MSM really does think you have s*** for brains, America!

"Shoppersspent a little more this season" by Anne D’Innocenzio, Associated Press | December 28, 2009

The BALD-FACED LYING is SHOCKING, isn't it?

NEW YORK - Holiday shoppers spent a little more this season, according to data released today, giving merchants some reason for cheer.

Yes, a BIG, BRIGHT, SHINY TURD of a MSM LIE should MAKE YOU SMILE!!

Here, let me cut you a piece of MSM cake!

The spending bounce means retailers avoided a repeat of last year’s disaster, even amid tight credit and double-digit unemployment. Profits should be healthier, too, because stores had a year to plan their inventories to match consumer demand and never needed to resort to fire-sale clearances....

PFFFFFFFFFFFFTTT!

Adjusting for an extra shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the number was closer to a 1 percent gain...

A major winter storm that slammed the Northeast and shut in shoppers on the Saturday before Christmas derailed some sales. Butconsumers appeared to have made up for the loss by shopping in advance of the storm and the days leading up to Christmas.

THESE ARE SUCH LIES!!!

Or the PRE-XMAS CRAP ABOVE was JUST THAT, huh?

Take your PICK, readers!!

Online sales were a particular hot spot....

One worrisome sign:

Yeah, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS: A SHIT-SHOVELING MSM!

Merchants are facing big hurdles to lure shoppers back in January amid lean inventories and what appear to be weak gift card sales. Gift card sales are recorded only when they are redeemed.

PFFFFFTT!

That's ODD because the GLOBE TOLD me the GIFT CARD SALES were ROARING where they are at the mall!

FYI, readers, the only gift card I bought was to the local Chinese diner.

Stores count on a post-Christmas boost because of the growing importance of January on the retail sales calendar. Last year, the week after Christmas accounted for 15 percent of overall holiday sales, according to ShopperTrak, a research firm.

Of course, ABOVE IT SAID 25% and this is the FIRST I'VE EVER HEARD of the "post-Xmas" boost and I been Xmasing for years!

Retail consultant Burt P. Flickinger describes gift cards as “the lifeblood’’ of the post-Christmas season, because shoppers typically spend more than the value of the cards.

Karen MacDonald, a spokeswoman at Taubman Centers Inc., said a survey of its centers this past weekend showed that merchants are on track to generate, on average, low-single-digit sales increases from a year ago, though they still have a week to go. MacDonald noted that the centers had a strong last-minute sales surge, and this past weekend, business has been strong.

How much bullshit can a newspaper shovel if a newspaper could shovel bullshit, readers?

She added that 85 percent of shoppers are buying, 10 percent are exchanging, and about 5 percent are returning items....

That is what she SAYS, huh?

And what was that soft brown matter that came out her mouth with it?

A full picture of how individual retailers did will not be known until Jan. 7.

Translation:

That LAST ARTICLE was TOTAL BULLSHIT and they think you will have FORGOTTEN in a WEEK, 'murkn!

First, he and his wife decided to live on her salary so he could be home with their 5-year-old daughter after school.

Oh, I'm GLAD they have THAT OPTION that YOU DON'T, America!

Yeah, I'm sick of STINK ELITE PAPERS!

Without a nanny, they saved $12,000 a year.

Oh, yeah, I can save money if I get rid of my nanny.

Why didn't I think of that? Because I DON'T HAVE ONE?

How about YOU, America?

He dropped services he didn’t use on his cellphone - texting and video games - to pocket $250 a year. He took a defensive-driving course for a 10 percent discount on his auto insurance and dropped car-rental and roadside-assistance coverage, for another $150 a year. For holiday gifts, he turned to thrift stores and gave home-baked cookies.

What a cheap bastard!

“When I was working, I didn’t look at the price tag,’’ he said. “In a strange way,’’ he added, losing the job “has been a blessing to teach me how to become aggressive and wise about saving and ways to save - areas I never would have thought about.’’

I've kind of HAD IT, readers, forgive me.

The recession has caused a seismic shift in the consumer culture, converting die-hard spenders into savers. A growing number of people, either smarting from a job loss or spooked by the financial crises of others, are scrambling to get out of debt, establish emergency funds, and add to their savings....

Yeah, unless you are one of the OBSCENELY WEALTHY waiting for Santa's sleigh!

Somehow THEY ALL DID FINE during this CRASH!

Allen Sinai, chief global economist at Decision Economics, a consulting firm, said banks are the winners when consumers save, but there are “more losers than winners.’’

Yeah, EVER NOTICE BANKS are ALWAYS WINNERS, America?

“Who loses? The economy loses,’’ Sinai added, because “weak consumption was part of bringing the economy into the deepest recession since the Great Depression.’’ Unemployment will remain high, with businesses driven by consumer spending struggling.

Yeah, after the lying looters set the whole thing up for you, YOU BLEW IT, impoverished American consumer!

Banks made BILLIONS and GAVE OUT BILLIONS in BONUSES but YOU WRECKED the ECONOMY, EMPTY-POCKETED American!

Nevertheless, Sinai said, saving at this point is good for consumers. With borrowing and spending having gotten way out of hand, he said, consumers need this respite to regroup and repair their tattered balance sheets.

So WHAT is the GOD-DAMNED GOVERNMENT'S EXCUSE, huh?

After that, he said, people should be ready to spend again.

HOW MANY MONTHS have we been HEARING THAT same old MSM song and dance?

But many new savers say they don’t even want to think about spending....

I'm not!!

I spend for FOOD and THAT IS IT other than athletic tape for basketball, a morning cup of coffee, and a Boston Globe -- and AS OF TOMORROW I MAKE MY OWN COFFEE and NO LONGER BUY a GLOBE!

Besides, it is TOO COLD to go out and get a OVER-PRICED, LIE-RIDDEN, AGENDA-PUSHING, WAR-PROMOTING, Zionist S***-SHEET!

After getting laid off early this year, David Fagerstrom Sr. managed to find not one but three jobs. Yet he still has a big problem: The combined pay of the part-time positions is less than a third of his old salary at Kronos Inc. in Chelmsford.

Obviously not a banker.

As a result, Fagerstrom, who worked nearly a decade as a business operations analyst at the software maker, has cut spending everywhere he can, including restaurant meals, vacations, and nights out with friends. He’s falling behind on car and mortgage payments, and foreclosure no longer seems unthinkable.

But the economy is doing great.

“It’s really forcing us to live life on the edge,’’ said Fagerstrom, 63, of Salem, N.H. “There just ain’t enough coming in.’’

Where is your $250,000 bank bonus?

Fagerstrom’s predicament helps explain why the economy has been so slow to rebound from the recent recession, and why many economists expect a long, difficult recovery ahead.

Actually IT HASN'T REBOUNDED because we are STILL LOSING JOBS; however, the GLOBE PUKE has LIED SO LONG he CAN NOT TELL the TRUTH now without looking like an EVEN BIGGER LIAR!

As fast as jobs have disappeared over the past year, wage and salary income has fallen even faster, as many workers have had their pay cut, hours reduced, or like Fagerstrom, had to take part-time or low-paying jobs because they can’t find other work.

Wage and salary income drives consumer spending, which in turn drives the US economy, according to analysts. And with credit tight and many consumers unable to borrow against rising home values, many people have little extra money to spend.

Wages and salaries are expected to play an even bigger role in supporting economic activity in coming years.... “A lot of people are underemployed, and that magnifies the impact of the recession,’’ said Northeastern economics professor Alan Clayton-Matthews. “They work less, they have less money, and they spend less. That’s the vicious cycle of recessions.’’

While wage and salary income has ticked up a bit recently, it is coming off a devastating slide over the past year. Wages and salaries paid by private employers nationally have fallen from the previous year for four consecutive quarters, the most prolonged decline in 60 years, according to the US Commerce Department. In Massachusetts, which entered the recession later than the nation, wage and salary income has fallen for three consecutive quarters, according to estimates by Clayton-Matthews. In the third quarter, which ended Sept. 30, wages and salaries paid by Massachusetts employers plunged 5 percent from a year earlier, compared with an employment decline of about 3 percent. Meanwhile, spending fell about 8 percent during the same period.

As the income decline shows, the official unemployment rate, as high as it is, fails to capture completely the weakness of the economy. Fagerstrom, for example, is counted as employed by the US Labor Department because he teaches an economics class at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, another economics class at Southern New Hampshire University in Salem, N.H., and does occasional contract work for a Maryland firm. Together, the three jobs pay him about $30,000 a year. But it still feels like unemployment to Fagerstrom....

UN-REAL!

He has THREE JOBS and is making MORE THAN I EVER DID in a year and it FEELS like unemployment!

Imagine how I FEEL sitting here doing this for NOTHING!!

More than 24 million, or 16 percent, of US workers, including more than 400,000, or 13 percent, in Massachusetts, are counted as unemployed or working part time because they can’t find full-time employment. The official unemployment rate is 10 percent nationally, 8.8 percent in Massachusetts. The large number of people competing for jobs means that people’s earnings are likely to increase only slowly, analysts said. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com....

What, you don't get a CHECK CUT for you by Treasury like the BANKS, America?

The unemployment rate would have to fall to about 6 percent - which most economists say is several years away - before workers experience real, inflation-adjusted gains, Zandi said.

Yeah, YOU must wait YEARS, America! You aren't banksters!

“That doesn’t mean the economy can’t come back. It just can’t come roaring back,’’ Zandi said. “Wages and salaries are the fuel that powers consumer spending, which is the key to economic recovery. If they’re falling, consumers don’t have the fuel or fire power to spend.’’

With so many workers looking for jobs, it’s a buyer’s market for employers.

Cindy-jo Gross was a vice president for a senior health care management firm when she was laid off more than a year ago. She decided to leave the executive suite to work closer to patient care, expecting to take a pay cut to change her career focus - but not as big a cut as some companies wanted. Some offered salaries that were just over half of what she had earned before, saying that they could find people who would work for a lot less. “The competition was up, and the demand was down,’’ said Gross, 46, who recently started a job managing a primary care practice in Foxborough forPartners HealthCare System Inc., at about 25 percent less than her old salary.

Evens Auguste, 50, of Brockton, is earning less than half of his old salary. After getting laid off from an information technology job, he spent more than a year looking for a similar position. In January, he took a job driving a Cambridge cab.... He still hopes to find a new technology job. He’s studying computer security to add another certification to his two associate’s degrees. In the meantime, he’s driving 12-hour shifts, six days a week, typically earning $50 to $80 a day, although he has made as much as $150 in a shift....

"Bright outlook boosts confidence; But people still not happy with current economy" by Courtney Schlisserman and Bob Willis, Bloomberg | December 30, 2009

WASHINGTON - Confidence among US consumers improved in December for a second month as Americans grew less worried about the immediate future, pointing to an economy that will keep expanding into 2010....

Attitudes about current conditions decreased to the lowest level in 26 years and wage expectations also fell, a reminder that the worst employment slump in the post-World War II era has shaken consumers.

But it is a BRIGHT OUTLOOK, pffffffttt!!!!

Gains in home and stock prices are helping households recover some of the record $17.5 trillion plunge in wealth, which may help sustain spending next year....

Look at them wishing, hoping, praying the economy will get better and you will spend, America -- and lying to you the whole time!

And if NOTHING ELSE proves what servants of the rich the elite paper is, this does:

"Foreclosures worm way into tony towns; Wealthier areas are feeling the strain that has already scarred other communities" by Jenifer B. McKim, Globe Staff | December 31, 2009

.... “The wealthier communities are experiencing maybe for the first time the hardship that low-income and minority communities have been feeling for many years.’’

WELCOME INTO THE POOL, richer!!

Now EXCUSE US if we EAT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dean Baker, codirector of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., said that poorer neighborhoods most affected by the subprime market and predatory lending probably have seen the worst wave of the foreclosure crisis, which occurred in 2007 and 2008. Most vulnerable homeowners already have lost their homes.

Yeah, so let's bleed for the po0r richer now!

In wealthier neighborhoods, residents are now being affected by the economy and housing price declines that can wipe out all their equity, he said. “You have record high rates of unemployment for people with college degrees,’’ Baker said....

And yet WE NEED H1- and H2-B visas to bring in scientist and engineers because those are jobs Americans do not want.

Virginia Pratt, a foreclosure prevention counselor at the nonprofit, Jamaica Plain-based Ecumenical Social Action Committee, said many with incomes of about $150,000 talk about losing their jobs or having a health complication that limits their income. They no longer can access credit to help them through lean times and aren’t able to cut costs enough. “The lower income doesn’t support the higher income lifestyle,’’ she said. “It’s people being stuck.’’

NEW YORK - Energy prices rose slightly yesterday with a majority of futures traders taking the holiday week off, though a stronger dollar helped keep a barrel of oil below $79....

A rise in the dollar versus other currencies tends to push oil prices lower. Crude is priced in dollars, and investors holding foreign money can’t buy as much when the dollar rises. Still, oil has pressed higher for five straight days.

Which means YOUR DOLLAR was getting WEAKER, America. Not long now until it is worth next-to-nothing.

Crude is getting close to the high for the year of $82 a barrel, and that’s tugging other fuels higher as well. Retail gas prices increased for the fourth straight day, the first time it’s done that since October. The national average climbed a half penny overnight to a new national average of $2.61, according to auto club AAA. A gallon of regular unleaded is 2.1 cents cheaper than a month ago, but nearly $1 more expensive than a year ago.

With DEMAND and DRIVING DOWN SO MUCH because of RECESSION?

A report released yesterday by MasterCard SpendingPulse said Americans bought more gas last week than they did a year ago, marking the fifth straight week that demand strengthened.

When the new year begins, analyst and trader Stephen Schork said, he’ll be closely watching for signs of gas demand and how oil refiners will react. Petroleum consumption has dropped overall this year in the United States, and if refiners can’t pass along higher crude prices to consumers, then Schork said he expects a downward correction in oil prices.

Why?

Prices went UP a $1 this year and DEMAND WAS DOWN?

It is ALL PEGGED to YOUR DOLLAR now, America.

There IS NO LAW of SUPPLY and DEMAND! So when GAS PRICES (and all others) RISE it is because YOUR DOLLAR is WEAKER!

But DON'T COUNT on the MSM to TELL YOU THAT! They DANCE and OBFUSCATE around that all the time.

“Refiners have a difficult row to hoe,’’ he said. “These guys can’t make money. They can’t pass on the exaggerated cost of crude to consumers. Some are trying to sell their refineries, and they’re not getting any takers.’’

Awww, the POOR, BILLIONS-in-PROFITS oil companies, can you believe it?

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